Harvesting: Broken weather continues to delay harvesting and it is also slowing oilseed rape maturity. There was some barley harvesting over the past week but there are very few fields totally cleared to give a handle on yield.

Early reports indicate variable specific weights from 61 to over 70 KPH. Some growers report that samples are difficult to thresh cleanly, with awns still difficult to remove. One grower told me that 61 KPH off the combine early this week scrubbed up to 66 KPH after a bit of manual cleaning.

Both two-row and six-row varieties have been harvested but there is little to say that the six-row types (generally hybrids) have a yield benefit over the two-row types. Early indications, mainly from combine computers, suggest some yields as low as 3.2 t/ac, most appear to be in the 3.5-4.0 t/ac range with occasional reports in excess of 4.5 t/ac.

Slow to mature: Many winter oat crops appear to be ripening very quickly. This might not be a good omen. Oilseed rape, on the other hand, is very slow to mature to the stage for desiccation with glyphosate. A few crops have been sprayed but it may be the weekend or next week before most others will be ready for spraying off.

Some winter wheat and spring barley crops have lost most of their green colour in the past week.


These crops have traditionally coped well with warm dry summers but one can never be confident about early maturing crops until after the grain is across the weighbridge. Whiteheads are now obvious in many winter wheat crops.

Crows: Crop damage by crows appears to differ considerably in different areas. Some have virtually no problem while others remain under sustained attack. While they have moved from winter barley, damage is now more common in spring barley and they are seriously attacking winter wheat in places. This is severe damage which has to be tackled as significant areas are being stripped of heads.

Lodging, caused by the heavy rain in recent weeks, hasn’t helped. This provides a landing pad for an initial attack. Where only patches are lodged, the use of kites on extendable poles can be hugely effective (as long as the wind blows). Where there is risk of damage by a crop edge, put up a nylon thread on bamboo sticks to give total protection. All other methods, such as shooting, have a place also but they can take up a lot of time with limited success. Badly lodged fields provide an even bigger challenge.

Straw: Growers suggest a general lack of demand for straw along with poor prices. Straw yield appears to be at least average from winter barley. Always chop the straw on the headlands to help improve this battered soil. This also makes subsequent baling easier. If you are not getting at least €50/ac nett for the straw it makes more sense to chop and incorporate a proportion of your crop to help improve earthworm activity and soil structure.